"Mani, a special part of Greece" Top 5 Page for this destination West Mani by JLBG

West Mani Travel Guide: 57 reviews and 182 photos

Mani (Μάνη) in Greek) is a peninsula of southern Peloponissos. Peloponissos is ended south by three peninsulas, Mani is the central one. It is framed west by the Messinia Gulf, and east by the Laconia gulf.

Mani is usually divided into four parts.
Outer Mani Έξω Μάνη) is the eastern part of the nome (prefecture) of Messinia. In VT, it is named West Mani. This is the one described here.

Inner Mani (Μέσα Μάνη) is in the south-west of the peninsula
Lower Mani (Κάτω Μάνη) is in the east of the peninsula
Vardounia (Βαρδούνια) is in the north.

All three later belong to the nome of Laconia. In VT, they are named East Mani (see my page, to come). Inner Mani and Lower Man are the most typical part of Mani with their house-towers.

Mani

Caution; do not consider the maps given by VT, neither for East Mani nor for West Mani. They show a little village in the nome (prefecture) of Evros, near the Turkish border!

Mani is a very special part of Greece, with a special look. It is mountainous and the soil is mainly made of marble. This marble is grayish whitish and is named Mani marble. Trees are scarce as marble is not the best substrate for agriculture!

Intro Updated Aug 20, 2008
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Reviews (12)

Castle of Kelefa Things to Do (12)

The castle of Kelefa was built by the Ottomans near Itilo in 1670. The name Kelefa means bald land as it was built on a... more travel advice

Gerolimin, traditionnal house tower - West Mani

Gerolimin, house towers Things to Do (12)

The first photo shows one of the 800 traditional house towers of Mani, built with local stones and with narrow openings.... more travel advice

Gerolimin/Gerolimenas Things to Do (12)

Gerolimin is another pleasant small village of south western Mani, 24 km south to Areopolis. It has not more than a... more travel advice

Areopoli/Itilo Things to Do (12)

With 800 inhabitants, this small village is the second largest town in Mani. The name of the city means "city of Ares",... more travel advice

Comments (3)

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volopolo Feb 2, 2009 at 5:11 AM

I like the picture of: The narrowest gravel roads…
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Kuznetsov_Sergey Aug 8, 2008 at 10:32 AM

Pleasant Greek towns and villages. Castle of Kelefa seems to be very interesting too. Thanks Jean-Louis for sharing!
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nickandchris Aug 4, 2008 at 4:05 AM

It would seem neither east nor west Mani exist on here!! Trachila, such a wonderful place......